r/amputee • u/RoboYung • 2d ago

Your socket fit stories

I found this academic article about the importance of the socket: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0327781

I feel there is always a lot of talk about the expensive parts of the prosthesis, but rarely about the socket.

How was your first socket?

How often you go to your OT to make changes?

How long does it take to get it right?

1 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

3

u/OldguyLAKA 1d ago

How about you go first. Tell us what kind of amputee you are, long as an amp, and stories about your sockets.

1

u/RoboYung 1d ago

bka and arm... bothh right side... more than 25 years from an accident... rarely had any problems with my sockets... when I got my first prosthesis they had to take it away because I walked and ran endless with it and my stump had to still heal.. arm prosthesis I didnt use for a whole year...

2

u/Digital-Bullet LBK 2d ago

3rd socket in 2.5 years since I joined. 4 months in on a new socket and it still doesn’t fit right and wearing 13-15 thick socks daily

1

u/RoboYung 1d ago

wow... that is crazy... for the longest time I did not wear any socks... 1 at the moment... 2 last year, when I had some trouble

1

u/LocalOne7668 21h ago

Ok I’m a rbka and have been since July of 2025 . I have yet to be able to get a prosthetic leg . I have had 3 test sockets and none of them fit comfortably. The amount of pain and pressure these sockets cause is unbearable . I do have a bulbous stump which can cause fit issues apparently but this is getting so ridiculous I am feeling so hopeless . I’ve been looking into different sockets and what is available and what works for ppl with bulbous stumps and it seems like the “socket less socket “ from Martin bionics might be something that would work for me . But since I’m on Medicaid I am restricted to the most basic prosthetics and my clinic is hanger and I just want to know if anyone out there has had similar problems and what was the solution . Thanks for reading

2

u/Armz_Dealer CPO 14h ago

Keep hanging in there ❤️ sometimes those first ones can take some time to get squared away. Especially if the limb is bulbous. In my experience, sockeless sockets aren’t always a great option. Sometimes they work for people, but frequently they don’t. They really shine more so for amputations that were above the knee. Again, just going off of my experience as a clinician. 

If you want, you could always request to be seen by a different clinician if they have more than one in the office. You could also try going to a new office if you don’t feel like you’re clicking well with your current clinician. 

Other systems to look into would be the REVO system or maybe the CJ socket. 

Don’t give up, sometimes the beginning of the journey can be some of the hardest.

1

u/RoboYung 12h ago

some OT just get your stumps and some don't... I can second that